


Same Old Story with a Different Name

by fennecfawkes



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/F, Get Together, M/M, Post-Movie(s), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 17:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5673724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fennecfawkes/pseuds/fennecfawkes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessika has more important things to do than gossip about Dameron and Finn or daydream about Rey. Pity she's not getting around to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Same Old Story with a Different Name

Jessika notices it for the first time when Dameron enters the hangar weeks after the attack on Starkiller Base. His typical swagger had been oddly absent after the battle; Dameron’s nothing if not confident, but there was something different about him when they returned, something a bit less hopeful and a lot more sullen. He was still a fine leader, but he was, in Snap’s words, “definitely a less fun one.” Maybe, though, that’s about to come to an end, as today, Dameron’s smiling and laughing and— _oh_.

Alongside Dameron is the former Stormtrooper, Finn, the one who took a lightsaber to the back and somehow survived, the one everyone couldn’t shut up about in the mess hall or morning briefings. Snap says he has the makings of a great Resistance fighter, given his knowledge of the First Order and devotion to the cause. The enthusiasm probably doesn’t hurt, either. It’s clear on his face as he looks around the hangar, eyes going wide when he sees Dameron’s X-wing.

“You fixed it!” Jessika hears him say.

“Wasn’t much to fix,” says Dameron, ducking his head, and huh, _that’s_ new. “You and Rey made sure of that.”

Finn shrugs, and it’s hard to tell from here, but Jessika’s almost sure he’s blushing. “Mostly Rey. I was kind of—out of commission.”

Dameron shakes his head and puts his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Buddy,” he says, and now Jessika’s straining to hear what they’re saying, and she’s _sure_ Snap’s probably noticed that she’s eavesdropping, but whatever, this is far more interesting than calibrating the weakest blaster on her fighter. “You still have no idea how much you did for us. For all of us.” Dameron smiles at Finn, and it’s soft and almost shy, and Jessika can’t count the number of times she’s seen that smile on other peoples’ faces when talking to Dameron. Hell, she’s sure it’s a look that’s crossed her own face once or twice, and Dameron, well, he’s not exactly her type. Jessika can’t hear the last thing Dameron says before crouching down with Finn to look at some minute detail on the left wing of Black One, but from the expression on Finn’s face, it’s something sweet and pure and—this is getting a bit stomach churning.

.:.

“Apparently he came to early this morning,” Snap says around a mouthful of something he swears is a delicacy on Akiva but Jessika thinks probably tastes like Rodian blood. “And Poe just happened to be there when it happened.”

“How do you know that?” Jessika asks, and the tips of Snap’s ears redden. Snap embarrasses easily. It’s one of the first things Jessika learned about him years ago when he recruited her for Blue Squadron. It was a personal visit to her home on Dandoran, Dameron and Asty and Snap all together, charming her parents and convincing them of the safety of the Resistance’s X-wings. As Dameron was leading them back to the shuttle, Snap asked Jessika if she’d ever been to Akiva and offered to take her there if she hadn’t. His ears were already bright red by the time he finished asking and practically went purple when she told him she wasn’t interested in a relationship at the time, but she could introduce him to her sister. He said no and apologized, and they’ve never discussed it since.

“There’s a medic,” says Snap. “Dara. She’s been working with the medidroids. We have lunch sometimes.”

“Lunch, huh?”

“Dinner, too.” Snap swipes at his face with a napkin. “You’d like her. Anyway, I saw her earlier, and she told me.”

“So Dameron’s pretty into this guy?”

“Seems like it,” says Snap. “Never really seen him like this before.”

“I was thinking that earlier,” Jessika says. “Everyone else acts like that around him. He’s never done it around someone else.”

“Kind of refreshing, right? To see him off his game, I mean.”

“I suppose. I just hope it’s not a distraction.”

“Oh, I think it’s going to be more than that,” says Snap, gesturing to the next table over in the mess hall. Dameron and Finn are seated across from each other, heads bent in conversation. Dameron’s laughing and has a hand on Finn’s shoulder again.

“Do me a favor, Snap?”

“Hm?”

“If I’m ever that far gone over someone and I haven’t actually done anything about it, kick me as hard as you can in the shins, OK?”

“I think I can manage that.”

.:.

The mood on base changes when Rey returns with Luke Skywalker. They’re not staying long—just giving an update, really—but both are treated like the celebrities they’ve become, Rey’s star shining slightly brighter since she’s younger and cuter and a whole lot newer, although Jessika’s never really let go of her childhood fixation on Skywalker as the galaxy’s greatest hero. Rey stops by the hangar sometimes, where Dameron’s been teaching Finn the basic mechanics of X-wing repair. (“He’d rather be working sanitation,” Snap tells Jessika at lunch one day. “At least, that’s what Dara said. It’s what he’s good at. But I think he likes Poe more than he likes working.”) The three of them have become something of a trio, and though Jessika treasures her friendships with Snap and the rest of Blue Squadron, she can’t help her jealousy—not of Rey, but of the others, the ones who get to occupy her free time. Jessika would be lying if she said she hadn’t noticed Rey, and not just for her heroics. But no one needs to know that.

At least, not until one particularly rough morning, when Jessika’s astromech droid malfunctions and extensive repairs are required. Jessika’s good with her hands, always has been, but some of this—well, it’s frustrating, and it’s intricate, and she treasures the quiet of the hangar at 5:30am, long before the others will wake. She’s scheduled to fly in a few days, a routine pass through Devaron to check on the planet’s endangered wildlife. If she doesn’t get a few silent hours here, there’s no way the fighter will be flight ready. So here she is, on her own, humming tunelessly to herself as she searches for the right wrench.

“Do you mind if I watch you for a while?”

Jessika looks up. Rey’s standing over her, peering down curiously at the exposed portion of the fighter.

“I can’t sleep late,” Rey adds, sounding embarrassed. “I’ve never seen anyone else awake on base before 6.”

“Watching is fine so long as you’re quiet,” says Jessika, standing and extending her hand. “I’m Jessika Pava. Blue Squadron pilot. This is my fighter, and it’s not doing so hot right now.”

“Rey,” Rey says as they shake, and Jessika holds back a laugh, because of _course_ she knows Rey’s name, of _course_ she’s had a crush on Rey since the first moment she saw her, and of _course_ she hasn’t been the least bit subtle in the few conversations she’s had with Dameron regarding his new non-Finn friend.

“So I shouldn’t talk?”

“It’s OK if you want to chat,” says Jessika. “Just don’t expect many responses. My astromech’s acting up and I’m supposed to fly in three days.”

“I don’t really know about astromech droids,” Rey says. “Or anything about X-wings, come to that. Maybe I’ll learn something.” She allows Jessika to work in silence for a solid 45 minutes before asking how well Jessika knows Dameron.

“I’ve been under his charge for seven years,” says Jessika. “So pretty well, I guess. Why? You have a crush on him? Because I’m pretty sure there’s a fan club you can join.”

“Oh, no, not that!” Jessika looks over at Rey, who’s leaning against the wall behind them. Every time Jessika’s glanced over her shoulder since Rey arrived, Rey’s been watching Jessika work intently as though she really does anticipate learning something from Jessika’s tinkering. And really, the audience has helped; Jessika’s much further along in her repairs than she would’ve been if no one were scrutinizing her work.

“I understand why someone might be interested in him,” says Rey. “But I was asking because—you know Finn, right?”

“Yeah. Oh. Him? It’s him you like?”

“Why do _I_ have to have a crush on someone?” Rey asks, sounding indignant, and Jessika can’t help laughing. Rey cracks a smile at that, and Jessika turns around to face Rey. “No, but they like each other.”

“I noticed.”

“And I wanted to make sure Poe would be suitable for Finn. I haven’t known Finn long, but he’s a friend, and I don’t want to see him hurt.”

“Trust me,” says Jessika. “If Dameron does like Finn—and I know he does, everyone knows he does—then he’s not going to treat him badly. Dameron’s a friend, too.” Jessika smiles. “A good one. And he takes care of his people.” She pauses. “So you came by just to see if some early-rising pilot could give you tips on whether or not Poe Dameron is a good boyfriend?”

Rey’s cheeks turn a dusky pink, and Jessika resists the urge to get any closer to her. “No. I—I was hoping it’d be you here, if anyone, though. I was wondering if next time I had some time away from training, you could give me a flying lesson.”

“From what I’ve seen, you don’t need lessons,” says Jessika, and she wants to kick herself immediately, because why would she turn down an opportunity to see Rey again?

“I’m fine with the Falcon,” Rey says. “But I’ve never flown an X-wing.”

“Dameron gives lessons to first-timers,” says Jessika. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

“Yes, but—I wanted to train with you,” Rey says, and it comes out in a rush, and Jessika feels the corners of her mouth turn up. Rey’s expression goes from uncertain to relieved.

“I think that could be arranged,” says Jessika.

Rey nods, and Jessika turns back to her fighter, not bothering to school her expression back to one of concentration.

.:. 

Rey’s not around very often. That’s OK. She and Skywalker will be gone for weeks, then return, and Jessika will show Rey some basic maneuvers, and Rey will do beautifully, and Jessika will try her best not to tell Rey that she’s preternaturally gifted, but it maybe comes up once or twice and Rey beams and Jessika reminds herself these are _not_ dates and Rey is _not_ her girlfriend. Even the closeness of their friendship is moving at a very slow pace. The same cannot be said for Dameron and Finn, who have become inseparable. Finn’s getting hand-to-hand lessons and flying lessons and God knows what else lessons, but any downtime he has, he spends with Dameron. When Finn’s not around, Dameron looks as though he’s wandering around in a daze, and it’d be pathetic if it weren’t so funny. Asty’s impressions of Dameron are now legendary, and even Rey laughs at his pantomimes when she’s able to have a meal with Blue Squadron. (OK, maybe the pace is slightly faster than very slow. Maybe Rey has lunch with them every time she returns to base.)

“I’ve asked Finn when he intends to do something,” Rey says to Jessika as they’re headed from the airfield back to their respective quarters. She’s just done her first solo run in Jessika’s X-wing, and it was immaculate; Jessika said as much, and Rey’s excitement is still palpable.

“About Dameron, you mean?”

“Yes, and he didn’t give me a straight answer. But he did blush, and that was amusing.”

“He’s still wearing Dameron’s jacket,” says Jessika. “That means something, right?”

“It may to Poe, but I’m not certain Finn would be familiar with it as a gesture of possession.”

“‘Possession’ seems like a pretty severe word for it.”

“I suppose,” Rey says. “Though the word doesn’t always have a negative connotation.”

Jessika scrambles for a way to redirect the conversation. “Do you think they’ll ever come around to it on their own? Or does someone have to, I don’t know, intervene?”

“BB-8 knocked Poe on top of Finn the other night,” says Rey, and Jessika—who’s not given to giggle fits, as a rule—dissolves into giggles. “I think we’re past the point of intervention.”

By then, they’ve reached Jessika’s quarters, and she attempts to sound casual as she invites Rey in. ( _Not a big deal,_ she thinks to herself. _Just being friendly._ ) Rey accepts but lingers at the door as Jessika flops down on her cot, unzipping her flight suit to the waist and shrugging it off her shoulders.

“When are you headed off for another classified location?” she asks, and Rey perches on the corner of the bed, just close enough that Jessika can nudge her toes against Rey’s thigh. She does so, and Rey smiles slightly.

“We’re here two more days.”

“Good thing we got that solo in when we could.”

Rey nods. Looking slightly wary, she stands and walks to the head of the bed, nudging Jessika in the side till Jessika budges over, giving Rey enough room to stretch out next to her.

“I’m not good at this, Jess,” Rey says, and she’s never called Jessika that before, but she doesn’t mind it, not coming from Rey.

“What? Thought you were good at everything.”

Rey scoffs. “Not _everything_. Not even most things.”

Jessika turns to look at Rey. “Then what do you mean?”

They lock eyes for only a few seconds before Rey leans in and pecks Jessika on the lips. It’s the shortest, least satisfying kiss of Jessika’s life, but it might also be, up to this point, her favorite.

“Really?” Jessika asks.

“Really, what?” Rey sounds defensive. “I haven’t ever kissed anyone before. Sorry if I’m bad at it. Like I said, not even most things.”

“You’re not bad,” says Jessika, running her thumb across Rey’s bottom lip. “You just need some practice. Like flying. You only tried that a couple months ago, and you’re already amazing.”

“Amazing, huh?” Rey smiles and nips Jessika’s thumb. “Think we can get there in two days?”

Before Jessika can quip back, Rey’s on top of her, lips soft against Jessika’s, and several long minutes later, Jessika reassures Rey that, yes, they can _definitely_ get there in two days.

.:.

It’s hard not to savor the feeling of a completely operational fighter. Jessika hops out of the X-wing and unzips her flight suit before remembering that Rey did a number on her collarbones not two days ago. She zips it back up—furtively, she hopes—and makes to leave the hangar when she sees Dameron jump over the side of Black One and practically on top of Finn, who goes in for a hug. Dameron accepts it, then shakes his head and kisses Finn. Finn’s response is ... enthusiastic, to say the least. Their mouths stay at least partially in contact as Finn unzips Dameron’s suit to the waist and pulls down the sleeves, running his hands down Dameron’s bare shoulders and lingering on his biceps.

“You have quarters, use them!” Asty shouts, and Dameron pulls away from Finn long enough to bow toward Asty before taking Finn’s hand and pulling him out of the hangar, presumably toward said quarters.

“Huh,” says Jessika to Snap, who’s fiddling with the control panel of his fighter. “Guess they finally got the push they needed?”

“Yeah, guess so,” Snap says before standing and hauling his legs over the side of the fighter. “Dameron wouldn’t admit it, but I bet it’s because of you.”

“Which means it’s because of Rey,” says Jessika. “Because I definitely didn’t make the first move there.”

“Does it really matter who made the first move? Seems like the only important thing is that someone makes a move at all.” Snap glances at Jessika as they walk toward the mess. “You haven’t been paying attention to me since you said ‘Rey,’ have you?”

“Not even a little, Snap,” says Jessika.

“That’s fair,” Snap says. “Lunch?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”


End file.
